RUMOR: New MacBook Air to Feature Backlit Keyboard

New MacBook Airs are expected to launch this week with OS X Lion. Besides having faster flash memory, Sandy Bridge CPU and Thunderbolt technology, according to AppleInsider, the new models are also expected to feature a backlit keyboard.

With the release of new models later this month, Apple is set to reinstate a feature to its MacBook Airs that went missing when the company overhauled the ultra-thin notebooks into more cost-affordable products late last year, AppleInsider has learned.

According to people familiar with the matter, backlit keyboards will join the string of hardware enhancements planned for the new 11.6- and 13.3-inch notebooks, which are also expected to adopt high-speed Thunderbolt ports, an upgrade to Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture, and possibly high-speed 400MBps flash memory.